Event Profile

4/19/2014 at Cottage Grove Speedway

Despite Afternoon Showers Cottage Grove Speedway Gets Races In

4/20/2014

Despite Afternoon Showers Cottage Grove Speedway Gets Races In
By Ben Deatherage
(Photos Courtesy of Madman Photography)
Despite some brief showers in the afternoon the Cottage Grove Speedway was able to complete all events on Saturday April 19th for Pepsi Family Night. The racing on the historic ¼-mile clay oval was fantastic and even a special Easter Egg Hunt was held between the heat races and main events in the infield. Classes in action were the Northwest Extreme Sprints, Late Models, and IMCA Modifieds. The Northwest Extreme Late Model Series were in action also to take on the local Cottage Grove Late Model contingent.

The Northwest Extreme Late Model Series feature was a thriller with Salem’s Jacob Myers leading early. Myers, chauffeuring his “Captain America” themed Baxter’s Auto Parts/Blasen & Blasen Lumber Corp/Powell Motors #9 Rayburn, would battle to retain the top spot but would be overtaken by Jason Johnson from Gresham. Johnson, in his “Incredible Hulk” Jackhammer Trucking/T&G Trucking/Walters Racing #76 Rayburn, would lead the second lap and looked like the car to beat in the first half of the main event.

Johnson, who also was making his racing debut after a nasty wreck at CGS last September, would surrender the lead on lap twelve to Brad Martin of Warren. Martin, Johnson, and Bend’s Shaun Mayea would put on one heck of a race for the lead as all three battled for the top spot in and out of lapped traffic.

The Reser’s Fine Foods/Wayne Martin Floor Covering/Competitive Edge Sign & Design #99 MasterSbilt of Martin in his “Cheetah” themed car would keep all contenders in check for quite some time before a handful of cautions would occur to bunch the field up. On a lap fourteen restart Shaun Mayea would really apply some pressure and managed to pass Martin for the lead on lap eighteen only to give it right back due to a caution coming out shortly after he made the pass.

Martin would retain the lead despite a couple more cautions only to be passed by the Cold Springs Resort/R.G. Remanufacturing/Driving Force Graphics #36 Rocket of Mayea on lap twenty-one. However the two would battle side-by-side for several laps before Mayea secured the lead on lap twenty-three. The remaining laps would see Mayea stretch his legs and get out to a comfortable lead to open up the 2014 season for the Northwest Extreme Late Model Series with a victory and become the thirteenth different winner with the series in the tour’s fifth campaign.

Brad Martin was second followed by the three-time and defending Northwest Extreme Late Model Series champion Greg Walters from Banks, in the T&G Trucking/Warpaint Motorsport Graphix/Duncan Automotive #97 Victory Circle, in third. In fourth was Jerry Schram of Vancouver, Washington in the Schram Brothers Excavating/Century III Stables/Bodies by Steve-O #16 MasterSbilt and the Eugene Gutter Service/EBM Pro Floors/Real Deals Home Decorum #03 Swartz of Veneta’s Kevin Ropchan was fifth.

Shaun Mayea was fast time of the night at 13.945 seconds while Jerry Schram won the trophy dash. Heat race winners were Mayea and Greg Walters.

In the Northwest Extreme Sprint Cars Jesse Thistle of Creswell was hoping to pick up a clean sweep. Medford’s Dave Hibbard took full advantage of his front row starting position to obtain the lead. Hibbard would build a very large lead but unfortunately it would be cut down due to a couple of cautions. On the final restart Hibbard would manage to hold back a hard charging Jesse Thistle to put his C&H Motorsports/Tangible Real Estate Investments/Carpet & Vinyl Liquidators #3 Zeitler in victory lane. It would be Hibbard’s second straight victory at “The Grove”

Jesse Thistle would earn a respectable second in his RCV Custom Coach Service/Cobalt Computer Services/All Around Printing/William & Mathis Accounting Services #4 XXX while the Griffith Family Racing #21 Gambler of Mike Griffith from Fall Creek was third. Two Roseburg drivers would round up the top five finishers with Dusty Redmond in the Redmond Trucking/Independent Thinning/Whit-Log Trailers #57 Rocket in fourth and the Double R Powdercoating/Rocket Designs/BC Motorsports/Jobe’s Hot Rod Shop #10K XXX of Don Waddell in fifth.

Jesse Thistle was fast time of the night at 12.691 second while Thistle was also the trophy dash winner. Earning victories in heat race action were Thistle and the Three Rivers Casino & Hotel/Bi-Mart/Brook’s Cut Rate Auto Parts #70 Maxim of Eugene’s Raquel Ivie.

Going into the IMCA Modified main event Cottage Grove ace Braedon Hand had put together a perfect driving record in 2014 looking for his second straight clean sweep. In order to make it two in a row all he had to do was win the main event. At the drop of the green flag it would be a terrific battle between Medford’s Tom Berry Jr. and Steven Sturdevant of Springfield with Sturdevant leading lap one.

Soon Mark Wauge of Jacksonville would make a pass in his Dog House Racing/Payroll Specialties Inc./Hoppes Consturction #M1 Impressive to obtain the lead on lap two. Wauge would surrender the top spot to Sturdevant in his Springfield Tire Factory #11 Dirt Works entry on lap three only for Wauge to get the lead back after making a pass on the bottom of the racetrack to lead lap four.

From there on Mark Wauge would build a very large lead over the rest of the field. However things would get interesting in the closing laps as the D&D Automotive/The Vintage Inn Family Restaurant/KNND 1400 AM #5 Shaw by SDMF of Braedon Hand would close the gap and attempt a challenge for the lead. But Wauge was able to hold on to win the race and it would be the first main triumph with his new Dog House Racing team.

Braedon Hand was a respectable second place over Mark Carrell of Redmond in the Mark’s Auto Body #27 GRT in third. Fourth place would go to the Berry’s Oak Grove Storage/B.R.E. Race Cars/GaryMorganGraphics.com #11X BRE entry of Tom Berry Jr. and Steven Sturdevant was fifth.

Braedon Hand was quick time at 15.055 seconds while he would also win the trophy dash. Hand was also victorious in the one and only heat race for the IMCA Modifieds.

The Cottage Grove Speedway will be back in action for Friday April 25th and Saturday the 26th. The weekend will be the first special event of the 2014 season and as it is the Marvin Smith Memorial Grove Classic ran in memory of the late Marvin Smith. Several top Sprint Car teams from around the region are expected to make the trip.

Classes in action on Friday are 360 Sprints, Northwest Extreme Sprints, and Hornets while Saturday will have 360 Sprints, Northwest Extreme Sprints, and Street Stocks. Both days the Pit Gates will open at 2:00 PM, Front Gates open at 4:00, and racing starts at 6:45. Tickets for each night are Adults $12.00, Seniors/Military/Juniors (13-18) $10.00, Youths (Ages 12-6) $5.00, and Children under the age of 5 are FREE. For more information log on to www.cottagegrovespeedway.com.

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